


The lantern-man

by Rook_Rabble



Category: Danish Folklore - Fandom
Genre: Going missing, Will-o'-the-wisp - Freeform, creature - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-25
Updated: 2019-07-25
Packaged: 2020-07-19 18:56:50
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 831
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19978900
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rook_Rabble/pseuds/Rook_Rabble
Summary: Have you ever been lost in the fog, lost your sense of direction, just keep calm and call the lantern-man, he can show you home. He is probably also to blame for you being lost in the first place.





	1. Stolen soil & A light in the night

**Author's Note:**

> Phrases with underline _________ just my comment

**The Lantern-man**

The Lantern-man original called (Lygtemanden in Danish) is a small sunken man who is dressed in old, red and blue dirty clothes and a blue pointed hat, and white socks. He is always equipped with his lantern that glows with a wavy, gaseous glow. The Lantern-man is a malicious little man belonging to the undead. Many peoples have their own Lantern-men, like Will-o'-the-wisp from England, Irrlicht in Germany and Chir Batti '' the ghostlight '' in India, but here in Denmark we have our ''Lygtemand''.

The legend says that Lantern-men are ghosts of gritty ''skelflytter'', it was men who chopped some of the neighbor's land by moving the stakes on the fields, others thought that they were the ghosts of land surveyor who had put the boundary stakes wrong, as fields and meadows were distributed on a new way around 1800. If you caught the sight of a lantern and irritated him by shouting or whistling at him or pointing a finger at him, ''we already know it's very rude to point'' you could risk of him going after you. He could then become very violent, so it was about being careful. ''and show some respect'' 

Even though the Lantern-men are small, they have the ability to grow very suddenly in size. They flock from dusk to dawn near marshes and swampy areas. Often the Light of the Lantern is the only thing you can see in the dark. The light they use to guide people away from the roads and into the mud's dune where they drown. The Lantern-man can cause people to lose their orientation by luring them with the flickering light. Lantern-men cannot tolerate daylight, so they hide in the dark mossy water during the daytime. In these places you can see a quiet stream of air bubbles in the water.

**I'm Lost in the middle on the marsh, and in the darn night!!!**

If you are led astray by the Lantern-man, you have to turn the inside out, on your coat one sock or other garment. Wrong clothes can counteract the powers of the Lantern-man and help one find the right path again. Another advice was to light your fire, real fire frightens the Lantern-man, if you just turn on a small flame, it is often enough for him to flee into the night. If you have the courage to call the Lantern-man, you can actually get him to help lighting the way through the fog. The Lander-man shows the way through the bog, if he gets paid for it. ''yes there's always a price'' Put two pennies on a pillar or a stone and ask the Lantern-man to light the way home - and he does so.


	2. The Lantern-man & The Farmer / The Lantern-mans salary

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Seeing is believing
> 
> Gemme my money!

**The Lantern-man & The Farmer**

There was once a lord who did not believe in the Lantern-men, and even though his servants often saw them walking around in a marsh near the yard. One evening one of the men came in and said to the lord that he could now himself be allowed to see a Lantern-man, for now one were seen in the bog. The lord went out, and he also saw a light move down there. Yet he did not believe it could be a Lantern-man. It had to be a real person walking around with a lamp. He therefore said to the servants: '' If it is a Lantern-man, then I do not want to live for another month! '' At the same time, a little creature stood before him. It was the Lantern-man. The lord was so surprised that he fell over and the servants had to carry him into the bed. The lord died before the month was over.

**The Lantern-mans salary**

This story comes from Bornholm, and worse yet, in my neighbor town! 

An old man from Sandvig near Præstø had an evening visit to a friend who lived out at Kindvigshoved. When he was on his way home and came to Ole Rasmus's field, where he met a Lantern-man. The man was immediately led wild and came out in a marshy and bottomless bog. Here it was completely impossible for him to find his way back home. Finally, he man up, and asked the Lantern-man: "Please, light up for me and show me home?" and i'll pay you a dime for it. As soon as he had said that, he could recognize the road, and the Lantern-man shined for him all the way home. When they came to the man's door, he decided to cheat the Lantern-man! Quickly he slipped into the house without giving the man the promised dime. The man was completely exhausted after the strenuous trip, so he went to bed immediately. But then there was awfully disturbance outside so he could not fall asleep at all. Eventually he had to get up and nicely throw a dime out the window. ''well I'm not gonna pay a single dime, I show myself home''. Then there was finally peace outside, and the Lantern-man disappeared.


End file.
